Mead blanks CV
In two full regulation soccer games, plus two overtime periods, Mead and Central Valley had produced just one goal. So with a berth in the State 4A quarterfinals on the line, neither coach expected a high-scoring affair.
“I had a feeling going in, a feeling that I didn’t share with my players, that whoever scored the first goal was going to win,” first-year CV coach Andres Monrroy said. “And I was right. It just wasn’t us doing the scoring.”
Mead scored a goal off a set piece in each half to take a 2-0 win at CV. Senior midfielder Cameron Bushey scored off a corner kick in the 18th minute of play, then bent a free kick around the Bears’ wall in the 68th minute.
The Panthers will host Eastlake on Saturday at Joe Albi Stadium. The Wolves, the KingCo Conference Lake Division champions, knocked off defending state champion Pasco 2-1 in a shootout Tuesday in Pasco.
The Panthers and Bears came into their first-round playoff game with an intimate knowledge of each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Not only had they played each other twice, many of each team’s top players are Premier League teammates.
“These are two very good defensive teams – you aren’t going to surprise either one of them at this point in the season,” Mead coach Matt Stueckle said. “The first game, the only goal we scored was off a corner kick. The second game (an Eastern Region semifinal at Mead) was scoreless in regulation and overtime and CV won in a shootout.
“Neither team has been able to score a goal in the flow of the game.”
With neither offense able to break through, the all-important set pieces – corner kicks and free kicks – are all the more critical.
“Those set pieces get more important the farther you go in the season,” Bushey said. “Right now, we have a lot of confidence in our set pieces. We scored a couple goals off corner kicks against Wenatchee in our last game and quite a few goals off them the last few games.”
Mead played a corner kick short, funneling the ball to Bushey in front of the goal mouth.
“I got a great feed in and I was able to just redirect it. The goalkeeper (Nick Piger) got a bad read on it and just missed it on his dive.”
The free kick came from the top of the penalty area – close range for Bushey.
“When you’re that close, you really don’t have room to go over the wall and try to dip the ball under the crossbar,” he said. “I just tried to bend it around the wall as best I could and managed to get it in the corner.”
Earning a chance to play one final game at Albi Stadium is a bonus for the Panthers.
“Especially this year,” Stueckle said. “Because of the weather this year, our home field wasn’t playable at the start of the season, so we played a lot of games at the stadium.
“That field really lends itself to the way we like to play. It’s a huge advantage.”
State 2A
In first-round 2A matches, Cheney is the lone remaining team after blanking Othello 3-0 at home. The Blackhawks and Huskies battled through much of a scoreless first half. Justin Hale tallied on an assist by Mitch Weller with 4 minutes remaining until intermission and he added his second goal at the 79th minute of the contest. Harlan Gough scored right after halftime, again on a Weller pass. Cheney next plays at Grandview, either Friday or Saturday. … Grandview defeated West Valley 1-0 in two overtimes, the winner coming on a scramble in the 6-yard box. … Medical Lake was eliminated 5-1 in Quincy. Kevin Fisher scored the Cardinals’ only goal.
State 1A
Lakeside’s season was ended, 4-1 by visiting Seattle Academy at Nine Mile Falls. The Eagles led 1-0 at halftime before DJ Drevitch scored three times.